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Staff reports

The Rochester area is a great place to be a sports fan with something for almost anyone who enjoys competition or rooting for the hometown.

Here is a partial listing of area spectator sports:

Rochester Americans

The Amerks have been a member of the American Hockey League since 1956 and were reunited with the Buffalo Sabres when they were purchased by Terry Pegula in June 2011.

Pegula bought the team from Curt Styres, who stabilized the franchise during his three years of ownership. The Sabres and Amerks had been together for 29 years before being sold to Styres.

The Amerks play their home games at Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester Community War Memorial, 1 War Memorial Square, and their regular season runs from October to April.

Rochester Red Wings

The baseball team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins and plays its home games at Frontier Field, 1 Morrie Silver Way.

Morrie Silver led the drive for community baseball in Rochester, and his daughter, Naomi, is the chairman of the board and chief operating officer of Rochester Community Baseball.

The Red Wings have won an International League record 10 Governors’ Cups. The Red Wings’ season is from April until September.

The Wings front office also assumed control of the New York-Penn League’s Batavia Muckdogs in 2008. The Muckdogs, who are for sale, play from June through early September at Dwyer Stadium, 299 Bank St., Batavia.

Rochester Rhinos

The soccer club is owned by Utica native Rob Clark. The team has made the playoffs in all 17 seasons of its existence.

The Rhinos play in the USL PRO League. Jesse Myers is in his second season as head coach.

The Rhinos’ season runs from April through August. The team plays its home games at Sahlen’s Stadium, 460 Oak St.

Rochester Knighthawks

This National Lacrosse League team is owned by Curt Styres, and is coached by former captain Mike Hasen. The Knighthawks won the National Lacrosse League championship for the third time in their history in 2012. Top players include Cody Jamieson, who is Styres’ nephew, Johnny Powless and goalie Matt Vinc.

The Knighthawks play at the Blue Cross Arena, and their regular season runs from January to April.

Rochester RazorSharks

Rochester’s professional basketball team competes in the IBA-PBL, a new league that includes former members of the Independent Basketball Association and Premier Basketball League,

The RazorSharks are coached by former NBA player Cliff Levingston, who took over for Rod Baker prior to the 2013 season. The team has won PBL championships in 2008, 2009 and 2011.

The RazorSharks, owned by Rochester native Dr. Severko Hrywnak, play their home games at the Blue Cross Arena. However, the team announced plans to buy and renovate the Dome Center in Henrietta. The team’s season runs from March through June.

Rochester Rattlers

The Rattlers returned to Major League Lacrosse, the top outdoor league in existence, last season after a two-year hiatus. Clark owns the team, which plays a six-game home schedule at Sahlen’s Stadium, from May through August.

The Rattlers are coached by Fairport native Tim Soudan, who played 15 seasons of professional lacrosse including stints with both the Rattlers and Knighthawks.

Western N.Y. Flash

The Flash are members of the National Women’s Soccer League and are led by Pittsford native and reigning FIFA Women’s Player of the Year Abby Wambach. The NWSL started in April and is the third attempt at a professional women’s soccer league in the United States.

The Flash, owned by Joe Sahlen of Buffalo, have a history of success. The team, which plays home games at Rochester’s Sahlen’s Stadium, won the Women’s Professional Soccer championship in 2011 and the WPSL Elite League title in 2012.

The team is coached by former Rochester Rhino Aaran Lines and its season runs from April through August.

Rochester Lancers

Professional indoor soccer made its debut in Rochester in 2011 and the Rochester Lancers have played in the Major Indoor Soccer League the past two seasons. The Lancers went 10-16 in 2012-13 and are led by league MVP Doug Miller.

The team is owned by Chris Wilmot and Salvatore “Soccer Sam” Fantauzzo. The season runs from November to March.

Other highlights

Rochester has a world-wide reputation as a golf community and 2013 will be a year unlike any other as both a PGA and LPGA will be held here.

Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford will add to its list of lore by hosting the 95th PGA Championship Aug 8-11. Top golfers expected to compete are Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson.

Locust Hill Country Club, home to an LPGA Tour event every year since 1977, will play host to the Wegmans LPGA Championship from June 6-9. This is the fourth consecutive year that Rochester will be home to a major championship in women’s golf.

The Buffalo Bills are a huge part of the Rochester area’s sports scene as the National Football League team spends about four weeks training at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford each summer. Thousands of Rochester-area fans also fill the seats at Ralph Wilson Stadium for home games in Orchard Park, southeast of Buffalo.

The Buffalo Sabres enjoy a strong fan base in Rochester, especially after reuniting with the Rochester Americans. The roster has featured several former Amerks, including star goaltender Ryan Miller and winger Thomas Vanek.

Rochester Institute of Technology has fielded a Division I men’s hockey team the past seven seasons. The school has also hosted the Atlantic Hockey Tournament Championship at Blue Cross Arena the past several years. The RIT women’s team won the Division III national championship in 2011 and moved up to Division I last season.

In addition to events at the numerous tracks throughout the region, auto racing enthusiasts have a jewel at Watkins Glen International’s road course in Watkins Glen, Schuyler County.

The track features the biggest stars in NASCAR in the Cheez-It 355 at the Glen Sprint Cup race on Aug. 11.

Horse racing fans have two options in the area: thoroughbred racing at Finger Lakes Gaming & Race Track in Farmington, Ontario County, and harness racing at Batavia Downs Casino in Batavia, Genesee County. Horses run at Finger Lakes from April to December, while Batavia’s schedule is from July to December.